Sociology Exam 1

critical race theory

a theoretical framework rooted in conflict theory that examines how the interconnections between race, power, and the law explain social and cultural phenomena, events, and situations

sociology

the study of human society and social life and the social causes and consequences of human behavior

sociological imagination

the ability to see how history and biography together influence our lives

sociological perspective

a way of looking at society and social behavior that involves questioning the obvious, seeking patterns, and looking beyond the individual in an attempt to discern social processes

macrosociology

a level of sociological analysis concerned with large-scale structures and processes, such as war and unemployment

microsociology

the level of sociological analysis concerned with small-scale units, such as individuals in small groups or social interactions

social sciences

sciences with human behavior, social organizations, and society as the subject matter

economics

the study of how goods, services, and wealth are produced, consumed, and distributed

political science

the study of power, government, and political processes

anthropology

the study of the physical, biological, social, and cultural development of humans, often on a comparative basis

traditional indigineous cultures

ethnic groups who are native to a land or region, usually predating the arrival of a foreign ( and possible dominating) culture

psychology

the study of human mental processes and individual human behavior

social psychology

the study of how individuals interact with other individuals or groups and how groups influence the individual

history

the study of the past, social history is concerned with past human social events

geography

the study of the physical environment and the distribution of plants and animals including humans

social work

the field in which the principles of the social sciences are applied to actual social problems

applied sciences

sciences in which the principles the knowledge is put into practice to address real problems

pure sciecnes

sciences in which knowledge is sought for its own sake with little emphasis on how the knowledge might be applied

symbolic interactionalism

social theory that stresses interactions between people and the social processes that occur within the individual that are made possible by language and internalized meaning

exchange theory

a theory of interaction that attempts to explain social behavior in terms of reciprocity of costs and rewards

evolutionary theory

theory of social development that suggests that societies, like biological organisms, progress through stages of increasing complexity

law of human progress

comte's notion that society has gone through three stages: the theological, the metaphysical, and the scientific

social statics

comte's term for the stable structure of a society

social dynamics

comte's term for social processes and forms of change

social conflict

in karl marx's view, a type of class struggle due to economic inequality that is at the core of society and is the key source of social change

economic determinism

the idea that economic factors are responsible for most social change and for the nature of social conditions, activities, and institutions

social facts

reliable and valid pieces of information about society, distinct elements of society to be understood on their own

collective conscience

a collective psyche that results from the blending of many individual mentalities but exists above any one individual

egoistic suicide

suicide that results from lack of social integration into meaningful groups, leaving the individual with a sense of being isolated

altruistic suicide

suicide that results from being overly integrated into groups and the group meaning taking on more importance than the individual

anomic suicide

suicide that results from sudden changes in society or in one's life, leading to a disruption in the patterns that guide one's life

fatalistic suicide

suicide that results from oppressive social conditions that lead one to a fatal sense of hopelessness

verstehen

understanding human action by examining the subjective meanings that people attach to their own behaviors and the behavior of others

middle-range theory

a set of propositions designed to link abstract theory with empirical testing

theory

a scientific explanation, grounded in evidence, for a particular process or phenomenon

structural functionalism

the theory that societies contain certain interdependent structures, each of which performs certain functions for the maintenance of society

social system

a set of interrelated social structures and the expectations that accompany them

manifest functions

the intended and recognized consequences of a social system

latent functions

the unintended and unrecognized consequences of a social system

dysfunctions

in structural functionalism, factors that lead to disruption or breakdown of the social system

functional alteratives

new ways of acheiving the intended goal of the system

conflict theory

a social theory that views conflict as inevitable and natural and as a significant cause of social change

scientific method

a procedure that involves systematically formulating problems, collecting data through observation and experiment and devising and testing hypotheses

concept

an abstract system of meaning that enables us to perceive a phenomenon in a certain way

variable

a concept with two or more possible values, a characteristic such as age, class, or income that can vary from person to person

operational definition

a definition of a concept or variable such that it can be quantified or measured

quantitative methods

the gathering of numerical data used to test a hypothesis or examine a relationship between variables

proposition

a statement about the nature of a phenomenon

hypothesis

a statement about the relationship between variables that can be put to an empirical test

independent variable

a variable whose variation does not depend on another variable

dependent variable

a variable that is changed or influenced by another variable

direct realtionship

a relationship between 2 variables in which they either increase or decrease together, compare with inverse relationship

inverse relationship

a relationship between two variable such that an increase in one variable is accompanied by a decrease in the other, compare with direct relationship

methodology

the rules and guidelines outlined and followed in research

qualitative methods

the gathering and reporting of nonnumerical data used to identify essential characteristics, properties, or processes

observational research

research in which the researcher watches what is happening and makes no attempt to control or modify the activity being observed

participant observation

research in which the researcher is an active participant in the event being studied

ethnographic research

a form of descriptive research focusing on the sociology of meaning through close observation of sociocultural phenomena

survey reasearch

a quantitative reasearch technique that involves asking people questions about the subject being studied

secondary analysis

the use of existing information that was gathered or exists independently of one's own research

experimental design

a scientific procedure in which a single variable is manipulated to determine its effect

experimental group

in an experiment the group for which the independent variable is not manipulated

reliabilty

the extent to which similar results can be obtained under similar conditions

validity

the extent to which something actually measures what it is purported to measure

sample

a number of individuals or cases drawn from a larger population

random sample

a sample selected in such a way that every number of a population has an equal chance of being chosen

systematic sampling

obtaining a sample from a population by following a specific pattern of selection, such as choosing every 10th person

stratified sampling

sampling in which a population is divided into groups and then subjects one chosen at random from within those groups

content analysis

the procedure of systematically extracting thematic data from a wide range of communications

exploratory research

research that attempts to answer the question "what" by examining a new social phenomenon

descriptive research

research that describes social reality or provides facts about the social world

explanatory research

research that attempts to explain why things do or do not happen by examining the relationship between social variables

evaluative research

research that measures how well a program or project works in relation to its goals

institutional review boards

committees that approve, monitor, and review research conducted on human subjects to protect the rights and welfare of those subject